Windows 10 is available in a variety of editions targeting different markets and user needs. The three most popular editions are Windows 10 Home, Pro, and Enterprise. Most new PC’s will come preloaded with Windows 10 Home. But if you’re a business or power user you might need the unique capabilities of the Pro edition such as Remote Desktop, business networking, BitLocker Drive Encryption, Group Policy, and more. Here’s a look at using the Easy Upgrade feature which lets you upgrade to a higher edition of Windows 10.

During the free upgrade offer, Microsoft made it known Windows 10 will be free to every PC or device running a genuine version of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. Your system was upgraded to the logical edition. For example, Windows 7 Home Basic or Premium upgraded to Windows 10 Home. But you might want or need some of the richer capabilities available in the Pro version. For this, you will need to purchase the Windows 10 Pro Pack or use an existing Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise key.

There’s also good news for users who have Home Use rights through an employer’s volume license program. A volume license is a convenient way for large businesses to purchase Windows licenses in bulk and deploy it to many computers an organization. Volume license also includes flexible options that allow an organization’s employees to upgrade their personal devices to the organization’s licensed edition of Windows.

So for example, if your company is running Windows 10 Enterprise edition and you are running Windows 10 Home on your personal laptop, you can easily upgrade. This is important for ease of use, management and support rights that guarantees all systems are standardized and are protected using the benefits that are available with that particular edition.

For the purposes of this article, I will be upgrading Windows 10 Pro to Windows 10 Enterprise. Of course, the same procedures apply if you want to upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro using either a retail Windows 10 Pro license or Pro Pack key.

Upgrade to Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise Using an Existing Product Key

Select About then Change product key or upgrade your edition of Windows.

Click Yes if User Account Control comes up.

Enter your product key for the edition you are upgrading to, whether it is Pro or Enterprise and wait while the product key verified.

Make sure all open applications are closed and your work is saved then start the upgrade. Wait while the upgrade process kicks off. Your computer will be restarted several times throughout this process.

The amount of time the upgrade takes will vary between systems. But in my experience, it only took 5 to 10 minutes.

That’s it! Close out of the upgrade complete verification screen and start using your new edition of Windows.

No its not lost, you can reinstall the whole OS from USB. When you start the process, click “I don’t have a license key” when it asks you, then select Windows 10 Professional.

If it doesn’t auto activate after installing (It should), call Microsoft to have the activation forced through. Be sure to have the purchase confirmation email that you received during the upgrade process available.

I recently set-yp one of my old college laptops, and have been dealing with the Windows 10 Activation problem for almost 3 months. My laptop shows two different product keys. Have called Microsoft and had a tech look at the system via remote access, and it took them an hour to do what took me 20 minutes prior to me call tech support. At which point, Microsoft tells me to call the manufacturer….

Upon doing this, I repeat the same process that I just went through with Microsoft, but the manufacturer says the only option is pay them $300 and buy a *genuine* Windows 10 key from them and it would be upgraded to CREATIVE, or whatever the latest release was… Politely, as possible told the service representative. F THAT, a laptop new that has a dual OS roughly goes for the price your requesting for software that again will be *out-dated* to certain tech standards in probably less than 6 months. Hello, soon to be cracked OS because there’s still people in society that understand not everyone blindly follows the consumerism of our current society.